Take-all

Infected plants appear normal through crop green-up, but eventually become stunted, uneven in height, and slightly yellowed. The plants have few tillers and ripen prematurely. Wheat heads are bleached and will contain at most a few small shriveled seeds.

Affected plants can be easily pulled out of the soil because of extensive root rotting. Take-all can easily be identified by the shiny black discoloration evident under the leaf sheaths at the bases of diseased plants.

Take-all is caused by the infestation of soil with the Take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritice. The fungus survives from season to season in infested wheat and barley stubble and residue of grassy weeds. Wheat becomes infected in the fall/early winter when developing roots come in contact with infested debris. Infected plants can occur individually, but more often occur in small to large groups, depending on the amount of soil infestation by the take-all fungus.

This site was created and is maintained by Pat Dillon, Department of Entomology,
University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Ctr North, Lexington, KY USA
40546-0091 (phone: 859/257-3571). Please send questions or suggestions to:
pdillon@uky.edu